Manchester attack: Armed police carry out controlled explosion at Moss Side home after suicide bomb attack

Armed police carried out a controlled explosion as they raided a property in the Moss Side area of Manchester following Monday's deadly suicide bomb attack.

Locals reported hearing a "loud bang" in the area south of the city centre at around 1.45am on Thursday.

Eight men are in custody following a series of raids across Manchester, Wigan and Nuneaton, Warwickshire, following the attack by bomber Salman Abedi that claimed 22 lives at an Ariana Grande concert.

A woman who was arrested in the Blackley area of Manchester on Wednesday has been released without charge.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed another search of an address had taken place, although there were no reports of any further arrests.

The force said in a statement: "This morning (Thursday 25 May 2017) we have been carrying out searches at an address in the Moss Side area during which a controlled explosion took place.

"These searches are connected to Monday's attack on the Manchester Arena, but this is a fast, ongoing investigation and we are keeping an open mind at this stage."

The explosion was heard in the neighbouring areas of Rusholme and Fallowfield, with concerned locals taking to social media.

One wrote: "Does anyone know if the loud bang heard at 1:45amish this morning in/near Moss Side and Rusholme was an un/controlled explosion?"

It comes after seven other men were arrested as counter-terrorism police swooped on the suicide bomber's suspected "network".

The relatives of bomber Salman Abedi were detained in Libya.

Abedi's father, Ramadan Abedi, was arrested in Tripoli with his brother Hashim, who Libyan security forces said was "aware of all the details" of the attack.

A 23-year-old man - named in reports as Abedi's older brother Ismail - was detained in Chorlton, south Manchester, on Tuesday.

Ramadan Abedi had earlier claimed his son Salman was innocent, saying: "We don't believe in killing innocents. This is not us."

A national minute's silence will be held at 11am on Thursday in remembrance of all those who lost their lives in the suicide bombing.

The silence will also mark the nation's solidarity with those who were injured in the blast as well as others affected by the atrocity.

Flags will remain at half-mast on government buildings until the evening of May 25, said a statement released jointly by 10 Downing Street, the Foreign Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

It is understood that the silence will be followed by the resumption of local campaigning by most political parties, with the General Election contest restarting in full on Friday.